A Place They Call Home
by Elocia
Summary: Sasuke was living a neverending nightmare. Forever being fed lies, and slowly sinking into the suffocating darkness. But what happens when a seemingly ordinary doctor by the name of Naruto, decided to show the dying raven light?
1. A New Light

**You laugh at me because i'm different... But I laugh at you because you're all the same.**

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**A Place They Call Home**

Chapter One  
_A New Light_

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**In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Acers and Akers of hills, farm land, and long winding gravel roads stood a white building. Hills surrounded it, blocking it off. The iron fence that contained the building gave it a almost Hollywood haunted house look. The whole building clashed with it's surroundings. Out the front, a large- but slowly rotting away sign stood, creaking in the light mid-day wind. The word: **HOME**, was plastered in the middle of the old piece of metal. Although under the sign, in small lettering that **HOME**, which could easily be over looked read; 'Psychiatric Hospital.' Since it was located in the middle of nowhere, they didn't put a town, or city name on it. Just 'Psychiatric Hospital.' The place that mentally unstable go. 

The white building was huge. Surrounding it was fields of grass, and occasionally a small group of blossoming flowers could be seen. Off to one side stood a glass house- and even though the glass was fogged and a smoky colour, fields of blurred coloured could be seen. The building had multiple windows, one of each floor, which reached up to more than 5 in a row. All the windows were tinted. And for good reason, some people would say. You wouldn't want to drive by the building and see someone watching you- a lust look within their eyes.

Miles away, in a totally new scene with cars polluting the air, people screaming at each other, and crime was always happening a phone rang.

The owner of the phone placed his hand up, and casting the pink haired girl who sat next to him in the small cafe causing her to stop mid sentence. She jumped slightly, but nodded her head as he cast her 'sorry' gesture, and sipped her hot chocolate while she cast her eyes out the window in which they sat in front. Watching as people hurried through the streets, trying to get to one place or another. While the man searched through his black jean jacket for the object that continued to ring. He let out a joyful "Ah ha!" as he pulled out the compact black cell and placed it to his ear.

"Hello, Dr. Uzumaki speaking."

"Dr. Uzumaki, its Hinata." Replied his co-worker, and long time friend.

"Oh, hello. I'm just here at a downtown cafe with Sakura-chan. How can I help you?" At the sound of her name, Sakura turned towards the blonde boy, green eyes showing confusion. Naruto just mouthed the word 'Hinata,' which received a nod from the curious girl as she continued to sip her drink.

"Well Dr. Hatake just called."

"Uh huh."

"He said that he read through your resume- and said that he'd like to have an interview with you." Naruto had applied for a new job, since he was just out of training; he'd been doing small jobs, like working part-time at the hospital and small clinics. His good friend- who had been his guardian until he was 18 recommended that he called his boyfriend, Dr. Kakashi Hatake.

"Wow, really? That's great! Did he say a time or anything like that?" He couldn't help but express his excitement.

The sound of papers being moved could be heard through the phone, "Yeah.. Well since it's a bit out of here he recommended about 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. And if there's any trouble with the time- that we could just give him a ring back. Iruka has his number, he said."

"No, 4:30 is fine. I'll stop by the clinic later on today to pick up the directions."

"Okay. I'll see you then. Bye, Naruto."

"See you later, Hinata."

And with the click of his phone as he closed the flip the convocation ended. Sakura just continued to stare at the blue eyed 20 year old, her hot chocolate forgotten. He kept silent, making Sakura frown slightly, "So..."

Naruto snapped out his daze and turned towards Sakura, a jaw hurting grin was shown on his face, "You know how Iruka recommended that I try out for a job at his boyfriends work?" Sakura nodded, remembering correctly when they were sitting around the coffee table at Iruka's small house discussing places Naruto could get a job at, "Well Dr. Hatake rang the clinic and I've got a interview with him tomorrow at 4:30."

The older girl by a year wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and gave him a hug, "Wow, that's great!"

"Yeah, I can't wait!" Sakura pulled back and gave him a friendly grin, "But what if I mess up during the interview! What if he doesn't like me!" He continued to babble about all negative possibilities that could happen tomorrow at the interview. He didn't even hear Sakura repeating his name until she poked his upper arm, causing his whiskered face to look at the girl he use to have a crush on growing up.

"Everything's going to be fine." She told him slowly, as he robotically nodded, feeling a bit for calmer as he stared at his reflection mirroring off his mug of black tea. Sakura sighed and picked up her purse, putting a few bills onto the table top. "I hate to leave like this, but Lee is looking' after the twins at home. And I think the paint's still out." Sakura and Lee were happily married- and they had been for a year and a half. Their twins; Gabe and Rein were a handful to look after, since they were at active as they father. Who use to walk around the whole city on his hands as a morning routine. Before Sakura had fallen pregnant, she was working full time at the hospital, but since the twins were barely 6 months old she was on leave. Lee and Sakura owned a large family home, and were in the progress of redecorating, which meant repainting the walls.

Naruto cringed in understanding, he didn't know how Sakura did it. He found it hard enough when he had to look after Gabe and Rein for the few minutes while Sakura went down to the store or even just to cook dinner. And somehow the wonder-woman could look after both children and Lee.

Sakura bent down and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. A friendly one. Sakura knew about Naruto's crush on her, and even through the blue eyed adult was broken by Sakura getting together with Lee, he over came that bump. It's just a part of life- and he believed that one day he'll find his true love. Naruto stayed there while he finished his tea, thinking over the convocation with Hinata. The butterflies fluttered around in his stomach, giving him a uneasy feeling. Although it was his first _real_ job.

He paid for his drink- and Sakura's with the money she left and drove strait to the clinic. He was to excited to go home and wait- and at least when he got the instructions he could keep his mind occupied while he mapped out his journey. The familiar jingle of the bell chimed as Naruto pushed the door open and was greeted to a average waiting room with only one occupant, who was busily typing away at one of the computers.

The girl looked up startled. Her reaction time was little bit slower. Long black hair, a dark blue hue to it was tied into a loose pony tail at the bottom of her neck. Clear, pupil-less gray smoky eyes looked up at Naruto, a friendly expression on her face. "Hello, Dr. Uzumaki." She greeted politely.

Naruto just laughed, "You can just call me Naruto. You should know that Hinata-chan."

The said girl just nodded, a slight blush grazed her cheeks. "Okay then Naruto. I suppose you're here for the instructions. And good luck on the interview tomorrow!"

"Yeah, that's right. Thank you!" He grinned proudly, as Hinata searched though the mountains of paper coated her desk. Hinata was the person who sat at the desk at the clinic, and also a part-time worker as a doctor. Her cousin was top doctor at the clinic- so it was practically family run. Neji- Hinata's cousin and herself, even though they were related had a deep love for each other. And all of their friends supported them. Hinata and Neji had gone to the same school as Naruto, although Neji was always a year above them. Which was how Naruto scored his job at the clinic.

It didn't take long before Hinata passed Naruto a small piece of note paper and a map, in which Naruto thanked her with a smile, "There's a map for you to put down the directions, and if you have any trouble; I would suspect Iruka could help you out."

Naruto nodded his head in a agreement and leant over the desk to give Hinata a friendly hug. The rest of the day went slowly, to Naruto's disappointment. He went back to his small, but homey apartment- changed into a pair of jeans and a neon orange T-shirt and spent most of the night over at Iruka's house.

Since Naruto lived with Iruka with practically his whole life, since he was practically Iruka's adopted son; he'd normally eat dinner around their, then go back home. Iruka met Kakashi Hakata when Naruto was only 7, and as he was growing up, the fact that Iruka was gay never bothered the blonde. He would encourage their relationship. Sadly, since Kakashi's work was a bit out of the city, they didn't live with each other. But they kept in touch by phone, and Kakashi would visit Iruka whenever he could- which would normally be on the weekend.

At exactly 11am, the next day- which happened to be a Wednesday- Naruto was sitting in his small car, the map spread out on the passenger seat, as he checked to make sure everything was in order. He'd had morning dinner with Sakura, Lee, Gabe, Rein, Iruka and even Neji and Hinata made it. They were simply there for encouragement, but Naruto was glad that they took time out of their lives to wish him luck.

The first thing the young doctor noticed once he escaped the city was how quiet it was. No houses were seen, just non-stopping Acers of grass. No other cards drove down the same gravel road, which made him wonder if he was going in the right direction. Occasionally he would glance over at the map by his side; just to make sure he was going in the right direction because everything looked the same, no matter how far he drove.

It was until 3:45 that a sign came into view, followed by a large white building came into view. The driver rejoiced and drove over to a small area where a few cards were parked outside the gate. With a double check to make sure everything was okay, he exited the car. Like a tidal wave, the air suddenly became thick- deadly. And even though there was no wind, he shivered slightly. His senses were alert for any danger, but he couldn't see anything. Naruto was contemplating about getting back into the car and driving off, but he decided against it. He'd met Kakashi a few times, and he seemed like a okay kind of guy, so if Kakashi worked at this place, then it couldn't be too bad.

After telling the voice at the intercom who he was, and why he was there the large gates opened, scraping on the gravel ground, making Naruto cringe slightly. He stepped slowly, and cautiously onto the lush grass, feeling emptiness inside of him. He walked over to the tinted doors and pulled them, and when they didn't budge he gave a nervous laughter and pushed them, causing him to be momentarily blinded by all of the white.

It looked just like the waiting room back at the clinic, but it was larger, and whiter. Instead of having soft chairs, there were cold plastic ones you find at schools. Nothing seemed welcoming. There were countless doors coming off the large room, and the sound of someone typing away echoed off the walls. He entered deeper into the jaws of the room, and it wasn't until he was standing in front of the desk did the lady dressed in a white lab coat lift her head of blond hair slowly.

"How can I help you?" she asked, in a robot voice, giving Naruto his full attention, blue eyes stared into his own ocean orbs curiously.

"Yeah, um.. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm here for a interview with Dr. Hakata, but it's not until 4:30..." He couldn't help the tremble of embarrassment in his voice.

The lady looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she was trying to remember something, "Naruto... Hmm, do you know anyone called Sakura by any chance? Short pink hair, big forehead?"

"Sakura, yeah. She's one of my good friends. Why?"

The girl gave off a light laugh, "I can't believe you don't remember me!" Naruto frowned in confusion, "Ino... Ino Yamanaka."

It took Naruto a moment to click, but he had always been the slowest to understand things, "Wow, I haven't seen you in years! Where have you been hiding?"

She signaled the room, "I've been working here and I have a small cottage just a few minutes down the road. I've been meaning to visit all of you, but I haven't really had the time. How is everyone back there?"

And so Naruto and Ino caught up on all the stuff that happened. Ino had kept distant contact with Sakura though the phone, but other than that she was surprised to hear how everyone else was doing. It wasn't until a phone next to Ino started to ring, in which she answered it in a very business tone that Naruto realized that time had sped up, and it was already 4:25. The butterflies returned, and he felt like a teenager asking out the cutest girl in class.

Just as Ino put the phone down, one of the doors to the far left opened as Kakashi entered. He wore a white coat much like Ino's. His hair was spiking up in the same way Naruto had always seen it, and he continued to wear a dark cloth over 3/4 of his face. He smiled when he saw Naruto, who bowed politely.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." He apologized, bowing slightly. He walked over to Ino and passed a folder of papers over to her, "I believe patient in room 27 needs a lower dose of medication. He seems to be greatly improving, and I talked to some of the other staff, and he should be able to leave sometime room."

"That's great!" Ino replied with a smile as she placed the folder in front of her, opened it and started typing away at her computer.

Kakashi turned to Naruto and scrunched his visible eye into a smile and walked over to a door, "Well go to my office, then we can get this interview started, okay?"

The blond haired boy mutely nodded his head and followed like a lost puppy. They walked down a empty hall before coming to a short stop at a door, in which turned out to be Kakashi's office.

It was more 'homey' than the rest of the building, in which Naruto was thankful. Although he couldn't help but grin when he saw pictures of Iruka around the room. He sat down in a chair facing a wooden desk as Kakashi took the one opposite him.

"I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the place," Kakashi asked, pulling the boy out of his thoughts.

He shook his head, "Nope."

"That's good. Now; I looked through the resume, and you seem to have all the qualities to work here. Although, as you may know; this is a Psychiatric Hospital, so it's more difficult than working at a normal hospital, or a clinic." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. In all the excitement, he almost forgot what kind of hospital it was. "The patients, if you don't mind me saying; Crazy. They don't see things as we do, much like little children. But you need to remember that they're human as well.

"Each patient has a different personality. Some like you spending time with them, while others don't. You need to respect their wishes. Although most of them are fairly easy to get along with. The building is set into different levels, as you may have noticed. From the bottom up is how serious their condition is. The bottom floor are the one's who are just here for a short time, while the top floor is for the one's who had, and will be here for a longer amount of time.

"For starters, I will assign you to the bottom floor, but sometimes you may need to take some food up to the top floor. If you feel awkward with anything, then please do tell someone. And you need to remember that this is serious- it's not a game."

It took Naruto to get over the serious tone in Kakashi's voice before it clicked, "So I got the job?"

Kakashi nodded his head in response, "And I understand that you live awhile away. There is a few small cottages a little bit away where you can stay," Naruto remembered when Ino mentioned where she lived, "We'll start you off at just a few hours a day, but when you grow more accustom to the place, we'll allow you to work for longer. Now, do you have any questions or concerns?"

Naruto thought for a moment, "When can I start?"

"Right now if you want. We have a uniform already set out for you- go into the office and talk to Ino about it."

The blond haired boy stood up, the grin still placed. He never knew it would be so fast and simple. He shook hands to Kakashi, suppressing a small cry of excitement as he exited the small room and walked with a skip in his step, into the office where Ino was waiting.

Somewhere on the top floor, was a small room. Unlike the rest of the hospital it was shadowed in thick suffocating darkness. A bony hand reached up to oily black locks, pulling at them with bleeding fingers until they started tearing- falling to the floor like black blood. With skin under his nails he screamed, a ear piercing scream. But no one came. No one went to check if the boy was okay. And so, once the echo ended, he fell to the ground with a large thump, bony knees pulled up to his chest, hands clamped tightly over his ears, leaving a red stain all over his face. His breath was raspy and dry, and his body constantly shook. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his bottom lip poured out dark blood, from where he had been biting.

"_Get out of my head!_"

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By  
**Elocia**


	2. Is This What You Expected?

**Shinning like a diamond, rolling like a dice. Standing on the edge, showing the wind how to fly.  
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**A Place They Call Home  
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Chapter 2  
_Is This What You Expected?_

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The uniform fit Naruto like a second skin, as he admired himself in the full sized window. Ino stood off to the side, a large grin on her face.

"It's fits you _perfectly_." She commented, walking over to him, and pushing down the collar of the long white coat.

"Yeah. I'm surprised. Normally they don't have clothes in my size." True, being the certain build Naruto was, small and slim, it was hard to find clothes in the male section that fit him.

Ino turned him around gently and pinned a small white badge to the coats breast pocket. **'Dr. Uzumaki' **was written in neat handwriting under the protective plastic. "We'll get your name stitched onto the pocket when we can. Until then, the badge will have to do." She admired her handy work, with a finger placed on her chin. After a few moments she nodded her hair of long blonde hair.

Naruto followed her as she walked out of the staff room into the waiting room. The long white pants felt weird against his legs as he walked. Ino took her place behind the desk and pressed a button on the small olden-model phone. "Dr. Sabaku will show you around the place. Give you a tour, and fill you in on any blanks that Dr. Hatake missed out," she explained, using simple motions with her hands, "Dr. Sabaku may seem a bit anti-social, but he's really a good guy. Just try not to be afraid of him." She concluded with a small wink, and before Naruto could even question her comment one of the side doors silently opened.

To Naruto, he looked like he was around his own age, maybe a few months later. Unnatural red hair stood up in short spikes at the top of his head. His skin was unnaturally pale, and looked extremely smooth and flawless. Deep eyes were surrounded by thick layer of black eye make up, making the young doctor frown. He wore the same clothes as Naruto, although they were a bit more worn. As Dr. Sabaku walked, his expression remained blank. Not even paying any mind to the fact that Naruto was standing a few meters away.

Without even speaking, Ino looking up at Dr. Sabaku, a small smile on her face, "Dr. Sabaku, meet our newest member to our little family. Uzumaki, Naruto."

It was then that the red head turned his head to Naruto, and gave him a polite and professional nod of his head in greeting. Naruto, dumbfound stuttered and held a hand to the back of his mod of unruly blond hair, "Hiya."

"Since this is his first day, I thought you might be able to you know; show him the ropes, and all that sort of stuff." She looked up at the red head, "Please Gaara? I'll shout you morning dinner tomorrow!"

Sabaku Gaara just mutely nodded his head, earning a shout of you from Ino as she raised her hands into the air, "Thank you so much! I owe you one."

Gaara just nodded his head once again and exited through one of the doors. Naruto looked between the red heads retreating back and Ino a few times before he hurried off to follow the doctor.

"For the first couple of weeks, you'll be assigned to small tasks, such as handing out food, cleaning, and night watch on some of the patients on the lower floor," Gaara explained, as they walked along a door less corridor, "After Dr. Hatake thinks you've learned enough, you'll get bigger jobs. Such as looking after some of the more serious patients, and giving them counseling.

"For future reference: Breakfast is served at 8:00am, Lunch at 12:00pm, and dinner at 6:00pm. You'll learn more about the food, and the tablets each patient must take when you visit the kitchen. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday are the only days patients on floor 1 and 2 are allowed outside. And someone must be with them at all times.

"For the patients on floor 3 and 4, they're allowed out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Same rules apply to them, as the people on floor 1 and 2. As Dr. Hatake should of explained, each floor is a different level of seriousness. Level 1, is for the short term patients. Those who may have had a shock, but they have enough will power- and help from the people around them to get better.

"Level 5 is for the dangerous ones. Most of the people up there have been there for most of their lives. And since they're aren't able to get any better, they're kept up there. On each floor they have a lounge. Although, there is a floor in-between 2 and 3, dubbed the _Group Floor. _From floors 2 to 4, any of them patients are allowed to go there. Although, because we're mixing up different cases, that floor is always heavily guarded."

The pair entered a large room, with a few small tables scattered around the room. Gaara walked strait through the room, to a stair case, in which he started walking up to the higher floors. Naruto took a few moments to let all the Gaara was saying sink in, and also take a look at his surroundings. He let out a small sigh, hoping that they had a map of this place, because he was sure he'd get lost.

"The floor we just went though is the _Meeting Room_. From the hours of 9 to 5, on all the weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) people come to visit their friends or family who are living here. Although, if anyone asks for someone on the 5th floor, get Dr. Hakata before you do any thing.

"There are normally around 60 or so staff walking around. So if you need any help, there will be someone willing to help you out. Although, if no one is around, above the light switches in every room is a small alarm, that sends a beeper to Ino, who contacts the nearest available doctor, who will be able to help you."

Naruto nodded as Gaara opened a door, and the sea blue orbed doctor was greeted with a scene of people of all ages and sizes sitting around chatting animatedly, or just enjoying themselves. To see people acting so carefree, it gave the Hospital a different light. A more Optimist view. "This is the _Group Floor_," Explained Gaara as he closed the door with a soft click once Naruto had entered the room fully.

The room was extremely large, and windows were placed on all the walls, allowing the bright afternoon sun to shine through. The room was filled with tables with drawing equipment, couches, a TV, radio, and multiple board games laying forgotten on the floor. There were about 5 more people in the same coat and pants as Gaara and himself. Gaara greeted the other doctors with his signature nod of his head, in which they responded either with a bring smile, or a enthusiastic wave.

Before the red head could continue with his tour a teenage boy bounded up to Gaara on all fours. Once he was at Gaara's feet, he leant back- so that he fell on his behind, and large grin on his face, "Hello Gaara-sama!"

The boy spoke quickly, his brown eyes blinked a couple of times before they turned to Naruto. And he tilted his head of messy, dog-ish deep brown hair to the side slightly, almost as if he was asking who the strange blond haired boy was.

"Hello Kiba," replied Gaara, as the red head bent down, so that he was level with Kiba. "This is Dr. Uzumaki Naruto. He's new here."

Kiba jumped up and down slightly, "Can I call you Naruto? Please?"

"Yeah, sure." Naruto responded, with a large grin. Even though this teenager looked 17- 18, he acted like he was a child.

Gaara stood up, "Well- we would love to stay and chat, but I must continue showing Dr. Uzumaki around. Maybe you can talk to him later on."

Kiba seemed to be happy with that idea. He looked like he was about to say something, but his face suddenly took a confused look- almost as if he decided to say something different, "I heard the doctors saying something earlier…" He informed them slowly, his voice barely above a whisper, causing the two doctors to bend down so that they could hear the dog boy, "They said that the Raven Boy is causing trouble. Tsh, he's always causing trouble. Weird kid that boy that." He shook his head sadly, before his name was called from over the other side of the room, in which he bounded away.

Naruto looked over at Gaara, wondering silently who this 'Raven Boy,' was. Gaara just continued walking through the room until they were walking up another set of stairs. It was then that Naruto decided to feed his curiosity.

"Um.. Dr. Sabaku.."

"Gaara."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Gaara."

"Oh, call me Naruto then."

"Mhmm. Now, what were you asking?"

"Who's Raven Boy?"

Gaara seemed a bit shocked at the question, as he kept silent for a few moments, before answering slowly. Almost as if he was choosing his words carefully. "Do you remember that big Uchiha Clan murder mystery?"

Naruto nodded his head. Although he was only still a child at the time, he could remember sitting on the old couch at Iruka's apartment, eating dinner when the story came on the news. Itachi had murdered both his parents, by their body pieces into tiny bits. Not only was it a horrible thing to do, but he had done it in front of the eyes of his younger brother, Sasuke. No other information was known about what else happened between Itachi and Sasuke. But the murder had escaped, and took his younger brother with him. Less that 2 months later Sasuke was found- dead they had said. No one knew where about the older brother had gone. And after much searching, the file was thrown into the incomplete bin.

"Well, the Raven Boy, is actually Sasuke."

Naruto let out a unwelcome gasp, "B-but I though he's died…"

"No. About 14 or so years ago, someone had seen him half dead walking through the forest over to the west. They brought him here, but it seems that Itachi had scared him to far beyond repair. It's sad really," he commented with a shake of his head, "He's placed in level 5. He'd tried countless times to kill himself, although none of them successful. Sasuke is still haunted by his brother. No one can get near him, last one was about 12 years ago, that person was in a coma for 7 months, before they decided to pull the plug.

"As much trouble as Sasuke is, Dr. Hakata won't allow us to give up on him. But you must not tell anyone of the hospital that he's alive. He's unstable now, and having reports and everything here 24/7 won't do any help, to Sasuke or to any of the other patients."

Naruto felt his chest tighten as he heard the story. He felt extremely sorry for the boy who had grown up in fear. Even though Naruto started off his life alone, he had Iruka and all of his friends as he grew up. But Sasuke had no one but the monster of his brother.

Gaara only took Naruto as high as the 4th floor, informing the blond that the 5th floor was sound proof, and because of the scene Sasuke had supposable made (according to Kiba) there is a almost 100 chance they would be unable to go there.

Naruto met up with some more of the level 3 and 4 patients. And became quick friends with some of the other staff. He was enjoying his time working at the hospital.

That following weekend, with the help of all his friends, Iruka and Kakashi; Naruto moved into his new house. It turned out that all of the staff's houses were within walking distance from each other. His house was between Gaara, and Kakashi's. The house was nothing fancy, more like a small cottage, and everything a independent single male needed. Although it was a tearful good bye to leave all of his friends, he promised to visit them regularly. And they said that they'd visit him whenever they could. And they could always keep in touch my phone.

Naruto became better friends with Gaara, and found out that the red head use to be a level 4 patient at the hospital. But 3 years ago, he'd had a break through and became a better person. And so, he choose to help people like him, since he was practically a living example of what the people in there could achieve if they tried hard enough. Naruto was touched at Gaara's bravery and now saw the doctor in a new light. And even though he was the silent type, he was fun to be around.

Although at he worked with people on all the floors, excluding the 5th, he became more interested in the last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan. Although Gaara had told him to not worry about the Raven boy, and to not get involved since it's very rare a normal doctor was able to see him; Naruto couldn't help wanting to see him. See what he'd become during his years of solitude.

A month had passed, and now practically everyone in the large hospital knew Naruto. There had only been one other episode with the Raven, but Naruto had been ordered to stay in the _Meeting Room_, and not leave. Not wanting to get fired, he just mutely nodded his head- and like a obedient puppy, followed orders. Naruto was a rebel by nature, but he knew that this place a different- and thus required a different Naruto. A different personality.

September the 15th- a Monday. Naruto had been working for just over 3 months, and was loving his job. Even though it had it's ups and downs, Naruto couldn't picture his life without the new friends he'd made. Naruto now worked full time on the 3rd and 4th floor. Although on some occasions he'd work in the _Meeting Room_.

The morning sun rays glared through the high windows, and the patients of the 4th floor- about 5 at the current time were all sitting around a table, happily munching on their breakfast. Naruto sat in a chair off in one of the corners, looking through some files he was holding in his hand. A coffee was carefully balanced on the arm rest of the couch which was placed next to him. Today, it was only Naruto and Gaara working on the 4th floor. There was a commotion down in the _Meeting Room_ so the 2 doctors that had been there excused themselves and hurried off.

Kiba bounced over to Naruto. A small white stuffed teddy, in the shape of a small dog was set on top of his head. Naruto raised a eye brow at the dog boy, placing the files down on his lap, "I've finished my breakfast!" informed Kiba, as he showed Naruto his empty bowl.

"Good boy Kiba," Naruto replied with a smile, and petted the side of the boys head, "Why don't you go play with Akamaru while the others finish their breakfast?"

A nodding head was his response as the dog boy bounced off again, leaving the bowl at Naruto's feet. The blond haired doctor picked up the bowl and placed it over on one of the tables to be collected by the cooks.

Although he didn't like picking favorites, he had to admit that the people on the 4th floor were the ones he enjoyed the most. Everyone in the room's personalities clashed, but they still lived like a family.

There was Kiba, who would be the baby of the family. He was always happy, seeing the glass as half full. Although he was obsessed with dogs, and extremely protective of Akamaru, a little soft toy dog.

Shikamaru, who was one of the older patients. He was a laid back type of guy, who enjoyed just sitting in silence, and doing nothing. Although he had a extremely short attention span, and got bored easily. He was always one to speak his mind.

Then there was Shino, who refused to take his black glasses off. He was obsessed with bugs, and would normally be seen playing with one of the many bugs that he kept within him room, and his clothes. He was the silent type, but wasn't much trouble.

Choji was one of the older people. He had suffered from depression and ate to take his sadness away, although it became addictive- and now he was always eating- and would throw a fit if there wasn't a bag of fatty crisps more than a meter away from him at all times.

TenTen was one of the only females on the 4th floor. She was anorexic and had been a long time drug sufferer (normally any and every type of diet pill.) Although she wasn't as bad as when she first came, Kiba had informed Naruto. She was the mother of the group, and always enjoyed joking around and mothering Kiba.

After they'd all finished their respective bowls they went to work on their morning activities- which consisted of sitting around the large room and doing their respect things. Naruto smiled down at the patients, as they all seemed lost within their own world.

When he first arrived- he expected to see the stereotypical patients. But these people, they acted just like a healthy person, excluding a few of their episodes.

Although, it wasn't the same for a certain Raven on the top floor. The darkness continued to consume the room. Time was lost, day and night… It was all the same. Always darkness. A single figure was sitting in one of the rooms cold, concrete corners. A large grin visible on his face, as he stared into the darkness that existed in front of him. Long finger nails tapped on the floor beneath him, as the sound of red liquid, dripping into a puddle echoed through the empty room.

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By  
**Elocia**


	3. What You See

**And I laugh to myself, as the tears roll down. 'Cause it's the world I know.**

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**A Place They Call Home **

Chapter 3  
_What You Can See_

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_"No, no, no!" 

Startled Naruto turned his head to the side to see Kiba shaking his head of messy brown hair. Multiple colours of discarded crayons lay forgotten on a piece of paper which had colourful scribbles all over it. He raised a eye brow at the younger boy.

"You did that all wrong!" The boy answered the silent question, pointing a grubby finger at the apple that Naruto had been colouring green. "Apples are green, not red. Sheesh."

The doctor replied with a light laugh, nodding his head and placing the dull green crayon down, "Okay, Kiba. Why don't you finish colouring the picture in? I'm going to go talk to Gaara over there." The said doctor was leaning over by the wall, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes skimmed the occupants.

Kiba pouted as he picked up a bright red crayon from the cutter over the small plastic table, "You'll come play with me more later?"

Naruto raised a hand and ruffled the brown hair slightly, "Of course." Kiba smiled, and Naruto returned it with one of his own as he stood up, feeling his knee-bones crack slightly from kneeling for such a long amount of time as he stumbled over to Gaara, who had be absently watching Naruto and Kiba out of the corner of his eye.

Acting in a childish manner, Naruto mimicked the pose Gaara had taken, and whenever Gaara would look over to the blonde doctor, he would respond with a large grin- which response was always a pathetic shake of his red head as he muttered words like 'Childish, children, immature,' and more comments under his breath. Although the act only kept up for about 5 minutes, because Naruto's personality caused him to get bored extremely easy.

He slumped down to the floor and looked up at Gaara with bright blue eyes, "Geez, have you ever tried entering a staring contest?" He asked innocently. "You would totally win!"

Without sparing the sitting doctor a glance, Gaara shook his head, and answered with a emotionless "No."

Naruto was about to say someone else, his mouth was even half open with the door opened, and Kakashi entered, with a nurse behind him. The appearance of the doctor wasn't unusual, since they always did spontaneous checks, just to make sure everything is okay, and working fine.

Gaara bowed his head politely to Kakashi, while Naruto waved his arm childishly, grinning like a mad idiot as he picked himself up off the floor.

Kakashi did his usual response by raising a single hand, "Yo.

"Was there something you wanted?" asked Gaara in a casual manner. Normally the doctors would just glance in- but Kakashi was actually standing in front of them. And it was common sense to know that Kakashi had a lot of work, and he wasn't known for standing around and chatting to the workers.

"Can't I just come and visit- say 'Hello."? You know, socialize?" He asked, putting on a sad face in which Gaara dismissed with a small shake of his head and returning his attention of the patients. "Anyway, there is a reason why I came. I decided, that since you- Naruto have been here for quiet awhile, we have decided that it's about time you got to socialize with some of the patients on the top floor."

Excitement bubbled within Naruto. He had never even stepped foot on the top floor- and there were many reasons surrounding that. The people on the top floor were extremely dangerous, so a doctor would have to earn the rights to go and see them. "Wow, really?" He asked, after it had progressed through his mind. He'd been especially waiting to see the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan. He'd only heard rumors from the gossiping doctors (normally nurses) that had been passed around the hospital about the state he was in.

"Yes. Practically all the doctors here have been up the top floor, even Gaara over there," Gaara nodded his head in agreement as Kakashi continued speaking, "And I noticed that your roster is almost empty. So, since we're very busy here, and you have done some excellent jobs with curing some former patients with your skills, the head doctors and myself decided to see if you could work your miracles on Sasuke. I know that's a big thing, and lots of doctors have tried- and sadly failed. But we won't know until we try. If you don't want to, then that's fine. But before you decide, we would like to take you to see him- and then you can give us a final decision after that."

It took a few moments for the information to run through his head, and when it finally did, he just nodded his head- gob smacked. Not only was he going to finally see the locked up celebrity, but he was even going to work with him. Although it was a great thing, some minor facts scared him. If he was working with Sasuke, then there can be a lot of dangers. This boy was killer. He'd killed his own brother! Although, but of Naruto's personality, he was never one to deny a challenge. And he was going to face the Sasuke Mystery head on!

Kakashi seemed pleased by his answer and walked to the other end of the hall, the nurse followed behind the head doctor like a watch dog. Before Naruto could follow the older man, Gaara took a light hold on his arm, causing the blonde to stare at the red head questionably.

"Just be careful, okay?" Gaara spoke softly, "I've seen him, and let me tell you this now; it's not a pretty sight."

When Gaara released the arm, Naruto just smiled and nodded, "No need to worry about me. I'll be fine." And without waiting for a response he skipped over to the door that Kakashi had opened and followed though it, closing it with a soft click behind him.

The hall way they entered looked exactly like the ones they had throughout the whole hospital. But there was only two doors- one right at the end, and one on the wall closest to the one of the far door. Having to walk quickly, Naruto kept close to Kakashi, who was silent, a thoughtful look upon his face, like he was thinking deeply about something. And deciding not to interrupt the look of thought, Naruto kept silent, taking in the plain area.

The door at the end had multiple locks, in which Kakashi stood aside, and the nurse, who carried a janitor-like set of keys carefully, but skillfully unlocked the locks. Naruto was surprised, and disgusted at the amount of metal that locked the door, wondering exactly how secluded these people were. It didn't take long, and soon Naruto was walking up cold concrete steps. The air became thick and musky. Making it harder to breath.

It seemed more like a jail cell, than a hospital, Naruto thought to himself, as his hand scaled the cold, thick concrete walls on either side of him. Each foot step that they took echoed, and it gave off a almost haunted story type of feel. A dungeon, where they would hang people- and leave them there to rot.

A few more doors later, the floor was finally flat, with no stares, but the air was still thick, and cold. Concrete still surrounded him, and the distant sound of chains jingling send shivers down his spine. No light found its way into the large room, but off in the distance, the outline of doors could just be seen. It took all his guts to not take a hold of Kakashi incase he got lost.

"We can smell your fear"

The eerie voice made Naruto jump, in which Kakashi placed a warm hand on the top of Naruto's arm in a comforting way. The voice seemed to come off to the side, and he could feel his heart pumping in his chest.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Kakashi told him after a moment of silence, "Who you just heard was Orochimaru. He was submitted here about 3 years ago. Turns out that before he was submitted here, he collected snakes. He would break into zoo's and steal all the snakes. Then when a police force went to his house, since they'd tracked him down- he sent his pets out. The snakes killed over 6 police officers, and left 3 paralyzed. He was declared as a threat, and even when they locked him into the jail- the snakes continued to ,follow him. He must of trained them as his pets. After multiple escapes, he was sent here."

Naruto shuddered slightly at the story. He'd never been a big fan of snakes, and thinking of a guy who kept them as pets, then used them to murder people was sickening.

"Nice to know you remember me, Dr. Hatake," The same voice repeated, but it had more a snake-like accent. Naruto could almost imagine a bright red tongue slipping out from beneath two white fangs as Orochimaru spoke.

Kakashi didn't respond, and the voice made a hissing sound of annoyance before it disappeared, as if it was never there.

The oldest doctor walked through the room, down a long path until he stood at another door. It was so dark that Naruto could hardly see the door, and the hand on his upper arm helped him to follow Kakashi, since he was sure he wouldn't even be able to see if hand in front of his face. Kakashi turned around, and Naruto has to step back slightly in fear of getting knocked over.

"You may go wait by the door. If we need any help, we'll call for you." Naruto thought that Kakashi was talking to him but when the Nurse, who had followed them handed Kakashi the set of keys, bowed, and bid a small farewell that he realized he was obviously talking to the nurse.

Without warning, the door slid open, with the loud echo of squeaky hinges. Kakashi walked into the room, and ushered Naruto into it before closing the door behind him.

The room was extremely small, and he was sure that if he stretched out his arms on either sides, he'd touch the side walls. The room smelled awful. A mixture of blood, sweat, rotting food and other smells Naruto was sure he didn't want to give a name to. The blood smell creped him out the most. The room, like the rest of the floor was covered in darkness. And the only way of telling that there was someone else in the room was the sound of heavy breathing. And also the nagging feeling of someone watching him.

"Hello, Uchiha-kun. I brought a guest to see you." Kakashi's voice echoed off the walls. But no response was made. The heavy breathing continued, but it had become more clearer. "His name is Dr. Uzumaki, and he's going to try and help you."

Naruto's ears twitched slightly as the sound of his name, but still no response was made, and the fact make his shiver, since he could still feel eyes on him. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could faintly see the figure of a person- or what looked like a person curled up in a ball on the far wall. It wasn't moving, but the heavy breaths came from the figure. Even though it was just the outline of Sasuke- he looked very unhealthy. The bones appeared to be to thin, and Naruto was sure he was naked, since no cloth could be seen. The small sparkle of eyes could be seen, but they looked pure black. Like a ended less hole filled with black ink. And it was while he was looking at Sasuke's eyes that he realized they were looking strait at him.

Feeling that he'd had enough Naruto turned around and opened the door. It was then that he noticed that it was even darker in Sasuke's room that on the top floor. Kakashi followed him and when they'd finally reached the corridor before the 4th floor, Naruto felt he could breath easily. Stars danced in front of his vision from the sudden burst of light, and he winced slightly and rubbed his blue orbs with the palm of his hand.

Before they walked into the main room on the 4th floor, Kakashi turned to Naruto. "Have you made your decision?" He asked, getting strait to the point. He'd been paying attention to Naruto during their trip, and his reaction was the same as all the doctors he'd taken to see Sasuke. They all looked at the figure with eyes of sympathy, and in many cases, that's what made them weak. But he wanted to try and give Naruto and chance. See if he could cure the broken boy.

The blonde boy thought silently to himself, before nodding his head, "I'll do my best!" he replied, with enthusiasm, as he gave the older doctor a huge grin, in which he returned with a small smile of his own.

"I'm glad. We can start the session tomorrow at about 10am, if that's okay with you. There will be 2 staff members present with you for your first few sessions, just incase. You know that door down the end of this hall," Kakashi waved his hand lazily at the end door, "You're meeting will be taking place in there. Before you leave tonight, stop by my office and I'll give you the fact sheet on our very own Sasuke. If you have any questions or concerns, then please do ask someone."

"Okay, and thanks for this chance!" Naruto smiled, and Kakashi gave him a friendly pat on the head before walking through the door, the nurse bowing to Naruto lightly before following Kakashi out.

Naruto stayed in the hall for a few moments, looking at the door that lead up to the top floor, thinking of the mess that he'd seen up there. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor boy. Shaking his head slightly, he exited the hall into the 4th floor, allowing his mind to drift to the meeting he had with Sasuke the next day.

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_By  
**Elocia**_


End file.
